This Saugerties man has been hiking the 2,180-mile Appalachian Trail since March

Anthony Lombardo began his trek in the late winter in Georgia at the southern tip of the 2,180-mile trail.
Photos provided

SAUGERTIES >> The woods are lovely, dark and deep, but Anthony Lombardo has self-made promises to keep and miles to go before he sleeps.

Robert Frost’s solitary words could easily apply to the 22-year-old Saugerties man and what’s left of his goal to hike the entire 2,180-mile Appalachian Trail spanning 14 states from Georgia to Maine.

As of one week ago, Lombardo had roughly 800 miles left before he reaches the tip of the trail at Mount Katahdin in Maine, which he expects he’ll get to by the end of September.

Lombardo, or “Lumberjack” as he is known among his trail peers, began his adventure on March 31 in Springer Mountain, Georgia.

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He had everything he needed to survive the six-month expedition in his backpack, including clothing, antibiotics, a tick removal kit and a water filtering device.

Back home, on Fawn Road in Saugerties, he had two very supportive and anxious parents, John and Linda Lombardo, who were hoping the best for their adventurous son.

No doubt, it’s been a stimulating and, at times, harrowing experience for the recent college graduate.

Along the way, Lombardo has run into black bears, several rattlesnakes, copperheads and wild horses.

He’s witnessed extreme and soul-stirring views and met generous “trail angels” as well as fellow hikers from all over the world.

He’s plucked out several ticks, slept amongst spiders in the rustic shelters on the trail and even injured his knee when he fell on a slippery path in North Carolina.

The best part, he said, has been escaping from the crazy, real world.

“Obviously, it’s getting away from all the drama and stuff that goes on. It’s nice to get away in the woods,” Lombardo said by phone a week ago as he was approaching the Kittatinny Range in New Jersey.

While he’s encountered some unimaginable scenery like Max Patch, a 4,600-foot mountain with a 360-degree view in North Carolina, Lombardo said he has missed things that most take for granted.

“Running water is a good one. It’s a nice thing to have clean drinking water, and I probably shower maybe once every four days. We’re always dirty. It kind of grows on you. You don’t notice it anymore,” he said.

Because of the nonstop walking and climbing, hikers are advised to drink plenty of water, but finding a reliable water source that isn’t contaminated by microorganisms is not always easy, Lombardo added.

“Depending on the water source, I don’t always filter it, especially if it’s coming from a nice spring. As long as it’s not through a cow field or a stagnant pond, it’s probably OK.”

Going to the bathroom in the wilderness also presents challenges, Lombardo noted. While he has come across facilities along the trail, most of the time, it’s done in the woods.

“What you’re supposed to do is go off the trail 200 feet away from any water source, dig a hole six- to eight-inches deep, do your business and cover it up with rocks and sticks and then use hand sanitizers.”

Other than the luxuries of home, Lombardo said he misses his family and his girlfriend. Another thing he has had to do without is the regular use of a smart phone and being able to routinely text his friends and loved ones.

He is carrying an inexpensive cell phone, but he does his best to limit the minutes. Before he left, Lombardo promised his mother he would call home at least once a week, and he’s kept his word. Lombardo also keeps a journal, where he logs his adventures under the name “Lumberjack” at www.trailjournals.com.

The 2009 Saugerties High School graduate said he decided to make the Appalachian trek a reality shortly after he got his degree last December in natural resource management from the State University of New York in Syracuse.

“I did a whole lot of nothing,” Lombardo said of the days after he graduated. “I basically sat around and watched TV. I had no motivation to do anything.”

Originally, he planned to hike with a friend, but, at the last minute, a medical issue forced his partner to cancel.

Lombardo said he had the jitters knowing he would have to go it alone, but once he started, he found that the trails are seldom empty.

In fact, he’s met up with the likes of “Dancing Feather,” “Grizzelle,” “The Viking,” “The Fonz,” “Mailman” and “Fletch,” all “thru hikers,” as they’re known, with the same goal of traversing the entire length of the Appalachaian Trail—the equivalent of climbing Mount Everest 16 times.

Each year, thousands of hikers attempt a thru-hike, but only about one in four makes it all the way, according to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy’s website, www.appalachiantrail.org.

Careful planning is key to success, it says, and that is something Lombardo said he did for the most part.

“The most difficult is the mental aspect. This past week, the trail has been so rocky that your feet and legs hurt. It wrecks your spirit. You can get real burnt out.”

Most days, Lombardo is up at his campsite by 7 a.m. He grabs a breakfast of granola bars or Pop Tarts before he hits the trail by 9, hiking up to 3 miles an hour.

Along the way, he stops to take pictures with his $200 waterproof camera and nibbles on high-energy snacks.

Lunch often consists of tuna packets or Goldfish crackers. At mid-day, Lombardo often stops to rest and removes his shoes and socks to “air out” his feet and let the sweat dry.

He recently retired his heavy hiking boots that took him 1,100 miles and replaced them with a pair of trail runners.

After the mid-day break, he resumes the hike until dinner, which he’ll often share with fellow hikers at a campsite.

“I try to eat as much as I can, and then I hang out with people and write in my journal, read and go to bed,” Lombardo said.

Every so often, he has encountered what thru-hikers refer to as “trail angels.” They are people who appear out of nowhere, handing hikers bottled water and snacks. Occasionally, they’ll find gifts of apples under trees or even be treated to full dinners by these generous souls.

While he was hiking in Tennessee in April, Lombardo came across an open grassy area, where a group of 10 people were cooking chicken, steak, salmon, corn and squash for the hikers.

“It was the most random thing,” he said. “Most of them are former or future hikers or those who want to give back, or sometimes, it’s just people who heard about the trail and want to help us out.”

As Lombardo approaches the final leg of his journey, his thoughts are racing to the future and his return to the nine-to-five world.

He said he’d like to find a job working outdoors and using his skills in forestry and natural resources.

“In the fall, I took the New York State forest ranger exam and environmental conservation exam. I passed both, and now, I’m, waiting to hear from them.”

As for his parents, they’ve met up with him sporadically, and they’ve been sending him money that he had saved up for the trip. Lombardo has also stopped to “re-supply” at stores in the towns along the trail.

He admits finishing the journey will be “anti-climactic,” but he knows he has accomplished what few have been able to do.

“What will I do to transition back into the real world?” he thought aloud. “I like to think this is the real world and everything else is fake.”

About the Author

Paula Ann Mitchell has been a multimedia journalist at the Freeman since March of 2010. She has an extensive background in television, radio, newspapers and magazines. Reach the author at pmitchell@freemanonline.com
or follow Paula Ann on Twitter: @anchoratfreeman.